


The Conversation

by Rachel74



Series: On the Road to Amnesty [2]
Category: Alias Smith and Jones
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:01:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27024709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel74/pseuds/Rachel74
Summary: This is a short sequel to my story 'Betrayed.' As The Kid recovers, he and Heyes have the conversation that Heyes discussed with Lom.
Series: On the Road to Amnesty [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1972318
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11





	The Conversation

“Doc, C'mon please, you said yourself, I'm doin' better. I'll be okay at the hotel. Least there I can look out a window. We'll be moving on soon, so I gotta get used to being on my feet.” 

“Son, I've been a Doctor from nearly before you were born and I brought up three children alone after my wife passed. So, you can glare, bat your pretty eyes at my nurse and carry on as much as you like, but you're staying right here till I figure you're well enough, less you got a medical degree no one's mentioned. Maybe in a day or two you can move to the hotel-but you won't be leaving Langton anytime soon.”

Heyes stifled a laugh as he walked in on the slightly heated conversation. Curry sounded frustrated, while Pearson's voice was in equal parts, amused and mildly annoyed. Curry's eyes lit up a little as he noticed his partner, “Hey..." Catching himself, much to Heyes' relief Curry continued with, "Joshua, you tell him. I'm fine.”

Heyes looked at him critically, noticing his tired dull eyes, his far too pale complexion and registering just how ragged his breathing still sounded. Without really conscious of doing it, he shook his head. Curry stared for a moment, before he lay back with a slightly mutinous expression and a put upon sigh, muttering. “Not you as well.”

Pearson gave a smile and grabbed his bag to head out. “I'm off to check on some of my more reasonable patients.” As he reached the door, he turned to face Heyes, “Don't let him convince you none. He ain't ready and he knows it. Just ask him what my nurse told me happened this mornin'.” With a final almost fatherly look that included them both, he left.

Heyes looked at his partner, who glared back before looking a little guilty, “I only tried to get dressed by myself. But my clothes were a bit further away than I expected.” 

Heyes could easily fill in what he hadn't said. The nurse had likely just got there in time to stop him falling. Heyes wasn't sure how to approach this, as the two of them were always a bit uncomfortable with anything approaching sentiment. But he decided, still raw from just how close his partner had come to dying, that a little embarrassment was worth it, if it meant he got his point across. “Kid, you need to be sensible, you were as close to dying as I ever want to see again. You gotta remember how long it took me to recover after I was shot.”

Curry flushed a little, then nodded with reluctant agreement, “Maybe I ain't quite ready to be goin' far yet, but you always insist we don't stay too long in one place. Even when I ain't happy 'bout it, you're usually right.”

Heyes knew that was generally true, but this time they were staying put. “We're safe for a little longer. I'm pretty certain no-one knows who we are and even if anyone does, they're mighty grateful and won't be bothered that we ain't exactly who we say we are. He paused and then added firmly, “Besides, the first stage heading anywhere we might want to go, don't leave for another week and there's no way you could stay on your horse long enough for us to reach the next town.”

The Kid his eyes drooping slightly, further firming Heyes's resolve to stay as long as they could, said softly, “How we goin' to afford all this, Heyes?”

Heyes patted Curry's shoulder and smiled, “Now, that I got under control. While you've been mostly sleeping, I've been busy winning and the townsfolk have been pretty eager to give me money even outside the poker games. The Doc ain't charging us much, says he's having too much fun for it to feel like work.”

To Heyes's relief his partner smiled, relaxed and let his eyes drift shut. Heyes had been a bit concerned at how The Kid's breathing had shallowed as they'd talked, so he'd decided that leaving him to rest was the best thing he could do. Once he was sure Curry was properly asleep, he slipped quietly out of the room. He wanted to send a telegram to Lom to let him know that the Kid was doing better and that they were staying in Langton for a while. 

Heyes sat nursing a drink in the quiet saloon thinking about the conversation he and his partner needed to have. Lom had left without an answer as The Kid hadn't been up to any serious discussion before he'd had to head back to Porterville. He and Curry's talk could be put off for a little longer, but Heyes knew they needed to discuss the future soon. He honestly wasn't sure what his own wishes were. He hoped The Kid would have a clear idea of what he wanted when they did talk about what their next step would be.

Heyes returned to the Doctor's around an hour later after a couple of drinks and found his partner awake and reading yesterday's newspaper. Heyes raised a questioning eyebrow at the unusual sight. Curry looked at him with a shrug, “Just catching up. Besides ain't much else I can do, what with you and the Doc not letting me do anythin' 'cept lie here.”

Heyes refusing to dignify that with an answer as he'd hoped their discussion earlier had meant they'd got over this, simply turned away to bring a chair over to the bed. He sat down, unrolling the paper he'd bought with more force than was needed and started to read in what he knew was likely a slightly offended silence. About five minutes later he heard a heavy sigh from the bed and looked up from his paper to find the Kid watching him with a slightly sheepish expression on his face.

“I'm sorry Heyes, I'm just getting' sick of lyin' here and sleepin' all the time.” 

Heyes understood his sense of frustration and was nearly grateful for it. Curry's restlessness was a clear sign he was improving. The downside of it was of course that his partner in this mood, despite whatever Pearson would say, could easily attempt something that wouldn't do his recovery any good. Heyes recognised that in the face of two equally stubborn people he needed to be the voice of compromise, so said carefully, “Look when the Doc comes back, we'll ask him what he thinks you're up to doing. Maybe we can reach an agreement that suits us all.”

Curry seemed satisfied, but after a pause asked, “You think he'll let me clean my gun, even fire it? That don't take much energy.” Heyes sighed, shook his head, ignored Curry's blatantly false wide eyed innocence and handed him the paper. Dragging the Twain book that he'd brought with him from the hotel out of his pocket he was soon happily engrossed. Curry muttered something that he chose not to hear and he smothered a grin when he heard the paper rustling as The Kid started to read himself. 

There was no real noise except for the turning of pages for a while, then Heyes felt Curry's gaze on him and looked down as Curry asked. “You given much thought to what we do next? I bin wondering, when I wasn't sleepin'.”

Heyes reluctantly put the book on his knee and cleared his throat, he should have known he and The Kid's thoughts were following the same path. “You come to any conclusions?”

Curry shrugged, “I think we should lay low for a while, head to South America, to a town where no one knows us, or maybe even San Francisco and stay there for a bit. Know you like the big city sometimes and it's easier to stay out of trouble when people are too busy to notice you.”

“How about a town near San Francisco? We can keep our heads down, we've done it before. City living won't suit you for long and a short trip to play a bigger game or two, would be plenty good enough to keep me from being bored too quickly.” For Heyes that was the easy bit, it's what would come after, that was causing him some trouble. “What then?”

Curry shrugged and studied his hands, “I know it ain't always been easy between us lately and I've complained a lot, but we might as well keep at it.” He paused and then added a bit uncomfortably, “ bein' honest, Heyes, I ain't exactly sure what I want, 'cept that we stay together. Whatever I sometimes say, we both know we're better together, always have been. “Curry finally looked up from his hands and his expression to Heyes' surprise was mostly calm, and held only a hint of embarrassment at the so openly expressed emotion.

Heyes realised that his own feelings ran pretty close to his partner's and nodded, before saying. “ We give it another year, then if it ain't sorted we have this talk again?”

“Another year,” agreed his partner. “Maybe by then Moonlight will be gone and the new guy will be less lethal and more agreeable.”

“When did you start looking on the bright side?” Heyes had intended levity, but Curry replied with a seriousness that left him in no doubt that The Kid knew how close it'd been.

“Since I'm still here to be fussed over.”

Heyes' throat tightened at the sudden affectionate expression on his partner's face and felt his own face break into a warm smile. The moment stretched as they were both unwilling to break it, until the door opened and Pearson entered. He looked at them questioningly, likely aware of the slightly odd atmosphere, but only said, “He causing you any problems, Joshua?”

Heyes laughed, but shook his head, “No more than usual.”

“You know Doc, Joshua, I'm right here.”

Heyes grinned at his partner's slightly aggrieved expression, overwhelmingly grateful that Curry was alive to be teased.


End file.
